Analogous Singularities
by Kaishakai
Summary: When the Singularity occurred, Alina was sucked in and deposited onto a whole new Earth. An Earth that was just like hers, but so vastly different. There's nothing on her Earth worth returning to so now the question is whether or not she can assimilate to this new Earth. But, as with anything, one's past always manages to catch up. Alina's is just a bit darker than most. OC-centric
1. Chapter 1

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news here– given, it's really not anything new anymore– but we've gotta go. Like now. Now now, _not _later now. Five minutes ago, now."

Everyone in the room froze, exchanging troubled glances at the tone. Pied Piper reached up and tapped his comm. "What's wrong, Overwatch?"

"We've got incoming," Overwatch rushed out. "I swear, there wasn't anything on the monitors and I'm tied into _everything_, but one minute there's nothing and the next I have three trucks inbound and there's a jet overhead."

Everyone jumped into motion, grabbing their weapons and adjusting their armor as they geared up. Trucks held five, meaning fifteen people, and jets held between eight and seventeen. That meant twenty-three to thirty-two people incoming and at least two thirds of those would be Metas.

"How far out is Frost?" Piper demanded.

"I already called her back but she won't get here before them without some help."

"I'll get her," Wally said. He pulled his cowl up and was gone in a burst of wind.

Deadshot shouldered his gear and adjusted his goggles. "I'll provide cover, just be sure to let me know when everyone's clear this time."

"Once!" Trickster exclaimed "I forgot to tell you once! And that was years ago, you should really move on, 'Shot."

"I'll move on when your acne does, kid," Deadshot fired over his shoulder with a smirk.

"Enough," Maven scolded gently. "Trickster, go ahead and start activating your traps. Overwatch?"

"The jet is just circling right now," she informed them. "I think they're waiting for the trucks. Means they're probably norms. We lucked out a little."

"Yea, but if the jet is all norms that means chances are the trucks are all metas," Piper pointed out. "That's fifteen metas against our four, plus Trickster and Deadshot."

"First, I was trying to ignore that. Second, rude. I count, too, you know," Overwatch huffed. "I lost my legs, that doesn't make me useless."

"No, but you're still a norm," Deadshot cut in. "A paraplegic norm, at that. Your skills lie in the computers, not fighting. No offense."

"You know, adding 'no offense' doesn't make the statement any less offensive," Overwatch sniped. "That being said, Vibe has definitely gone dark. I know we weren't sure yet, but I'm having troubles accessing their systems."

"Just keep on it," Piper soothed. "They know we're here so no need to be gentle. Smash in any way you have to and bring that jet crashing down."

"Preferably not on us," Lady Frost offered.

Maven turned to see the woman brushing her hair back, casting Flash a scowl. "Welcome back, just in time."

"Some more warning would've been nice." Caitlin stepped around Wally and moved into position on Piper's left, leaving Maven to take his right. "If I have to travel by the Flash train, I'd rather do it powered down."

"Not the safest option with Eiling overhead."

Frost let out a low hum as they made their way outside.

"Overwatch, the moment that jet is down, you get out," Flash instructed, appearing between Piper and Maven. "Trickster, you go with her. Activate all of your traps."

"Will do, streaking man."

"Once," Wally blushed. "I've only streaked once and I was drunk at the time. It shouldn't count."

"I have pictures that say it totally counts," Overwatch offered. "Also, trucks've passed the outer perimeter."

"Deadshot?"

"I'm in position," Deadshot confirmed. "My shield's up, but so is theirs."

"Not for long," Overwatch mumbled.

Piper, Flash, Maven, and Frost exchanged glances once more before they exited the building– at least, what was left of the building. They spread out, readying themselves for what they all knew would most likely be their last stand.


	2. Chapter 2

After the particle accelerator explosion people had to redefine their sense of 'normal'. The sky is blue, water is wet, and mutants were no longer restricted to the pages of comic books. Humans had inherited a new categorization: meta or norm. New procedures were put in place to cover this new development and situations that might arise as a result. Not a single one of those covered spontaneous black holes appearing over the city.

"At least it wasn't aliens."

Len cast his sister an apathetic look, "No, it just tried to swallow our city."

Lisa shrugged, eyes traveling over the disaster area. "Still better than aliens trying to take over."

"You've been hanging around Ramon too much," Mick grumbled.

"Seems they're doing a lot more than 'hanging around'," Len sneered. Bad enough she was dating someone who had a direct hand in the particle accelerator, but did it have to be someone who worked so closely with the CCPD?

Mick laughed, a quick sharp barking that was entirely too amused for Len's tastes. Len glared at his long-time friend even as he continued to check the wreckage around them. Several city blocks had been affected by the singularity and he sighed out through his nose as he wondered off on his own, eyes picking over everything, taking in all of the destroyed buildings, the rubble spilling out into the streets. Everything that had been sucked into the air had come crashing back down when the singularity closed, making an even bigger mess of things.

They'd been in the middle of a job when the sky had suddenly opened up above them. They'd been distracted and they're mark had taken off, heading right towards the epicenter. Eying the destruction, Len thought that it would be a wonder of the idiot had survived. He was shaking his head at the stupidity of some people when his eyes snagged on a burst of color.

He picked his way over, calling out to the others. "I have something over here."

He heard their acknowledgements as he reached what had drawn his attention, the splash of red bright and eye catching. His mind absently identified it as potentially arterial blood even as he followed the slight trail, eyes zeroing in on the body of a woman.

His eyes cataloged everything. She wore combat boots that looked well-worn but not ratty paired with jeans and a long-sleeved Henley that were both threadbare and littered with rips and tears. Whoever she was, she was a little too clean to have been homeless, but she was still filthy. Blood and soot stained the clothing, smearing over too-pale skin and coloring her hair a washed-out red streaked with brown. The blood was all fresh, the same bright red that had first caught his attention.

He idly noted the lack of debris, his mind postulating that she'd probably been caught up by the singularity before it had closed. He was ready to leave her be, there was no help for someone already dead, when he realized her chest was moving shallowly. Sighing to himself, he carefully approached her, thinking maybe his old eyes had been playing a trick. He knelt beside her to check just how strong her pulse was, his eyes traveling to her thigh where something was sticking out, blood leaking around it. He was so focused on what he was pretty sure was an arrow that he missed her eyes snapping open.

† † †

Her first day on the new Earth... it did not go well.

First, she woke up completely disoriented. Second, she woke up to Commander Cold standing over her. She saw his hand reaching for her and while she didn't see any sign of his trusty gun, she knew that he was more than powerful enough to do some serious damage on his own. She reacted on instinct.

Her hand came up and she released a scream, channeling and pushing the energy. Surprise flashed across his face as he went flying but she didn't give herself time to enjoy the fact that she'd managed to catch him off guard. She staggered to her feet, biting back a cry when pain flashed up her leg. She ignored the pain knowing that Cold wouldn't be down for long and took off in a random direction.

She'd only taken a few staggering steps before a column of flames flashed in front of her, causing her to stumble to a halt. She cursed, her eyes tracking back to the source.

"Backdraft," she growled, stepping back.

"Don't know no 'Backdraft', though the name does have a certain catch," he grinned back. "Name's Heatwave."

Her foot caught on ice and she fought to retain her balance.

"And I have the dubious pleasure of being Captain Cold. Now that we've introduced ourselves all proper like, what's your name?"

She turned, careful of the ice, until she had both men in view. They had their arms held loosely at their sides but she'd faced them enough times to know just how quick they could draw their guns. Her eyes darted from their empty hands to their hips, brow wrinkling when she only spotted normal handguns. Her gaze traveled to the lingering flames and the ice patch underneath her before going back to the men, confusion mounting. Cold's hand twitched, it was barely a movement but it was enough to draw her attention, to have her eyes zeroing in on his hand, zeroing in on where a light coating of ice crystals was slowly building.

"You're metas," she breathed disbelieving.

"So we've been told," Cold drawled lazily.

"Since when?"

"I'd say since the particle accelerator decided to blow up. So going on six months now."

Her chest constricts, her heart stuttering. Her eyes darted around them, taking in their surroundings. They'd had a brief run in with breachers a few years back and the last thing she remembered before waking up was being swallowed by a black hole. It wasn't that big a leap to realize she wasn't on her Earth anymore. Looking around made it very evident, though seemingly unbelievable, that she was not on her Earth. While it looked like something had done a number on the city, it in no way resembled the war zone that hers had become. That Cold hadn't executed her while she was unconscious supported the whole alternate Earth thing too.

"Well fuck," she breathed.

"Language."

Her gaze shoots back to Backdraft– no, _Heatwave_, who'd just called her on her _language_? She is seriously not up for this right now.

She takes a step back, trying to think of how to get away, when she hears a woman tsking softly at her. She should've known, really. Wherever Cold goes, his sister is never far behind.

Sure enough, when she glances over her shoulder it's to see Gilded Lady and, like her two companions, she's sans gun as well. Her hands are loose at her side, she looks completely relaxed but the sharp glint in her eye indicates her readiness.

"Lisa Snart, though if we're going by our handles I guess that makes me Golden Glider," she smiles sultrily, angling her head in a way that brings her ponytail swinging over her shoulder. "Now, what's your name sweetheart? That was a pretty impressive show, sending Lenny flying like that."

"Not sure I should be telling my name to complete strangers," she hedges.

Cold smiles, it's every bit as sharp as his sister's. "Come now, we're not strangers. Besides, if you can't trust the police, who can you trust?"

He carefully reaches to move his jacket, showcasing the badge clipped to his belt. "Detective Leonard Snart, my partner, Detective Mick Rory."

Her breath stutters again and she narrows her eyes, gaze moving over all three as she curses herself for relaxing even the slightest. "Metahuman Task Force," she hisses. "Didn't think they'd be willing to accept metas when their job is to hunt them down."

Lisa's mouth opens to respond but she isn't going to stick around any longer than she has to. Her lips part and she starts humming the first song that came to mind, a tune that was every bit as alluring as it was haunting, immediately snagging their attention. She slowly brought her hands up, one aimed at Lisa and the other at the two men, as she continued, manipulating the energy to gradually captivate all three.

She wasn't a fan of this aspect, she always viewed it as tantamount of taking someone's control away, it bordered entirely too close to what Eilling had done to them, but she didn't know enough about this Earth just yet to chance taking out three police officers. Instead, she lured them all in, getting them to drop their guards and waited as their lids slipped closed.

The moment she was sure they were all out, she took off. For them, it would be like they'd blinked and she was gone, so she had to hurry while she could. She only had a few seconds before they snapped out of it, their minds returning to them fully. She was nearing the edge of the damaged area when she spotted a convenience store that she ducked into. It looked pretty abandoned, no doubt everyone was a little sidetracked by the gaping black hole that had appeared over their city.

Now that she thought about it, she wondered how they'd gotten it to close. Or had her and Wally closing things on their end closed it here too?

She shook the thought away, not wanting to get too absorbed in the possibilities. She grabbed one of the generic backpacks from the wall rack before she made her way through the store gathering what she needed. It was pretty well stocked and it was eerily similar to the one on her Earth, though that just made it easier to know where to look for things. She felt a little bad for popping one of the cash drawers but she buried the feeling as she cleared it out.

She was in and out of the store in under ten minutes, slinging the backpack over her shoulder as she wove around people who were still gaping at the sky. She wandered to one of the shadier ends of Central and found a room that rented by the hour, the clerk didn't even blink at her appearance, and she used the time to clean herself up. Most of her wounds were closed over, she had to reopen the one on her leg so she could retrieve the rest of the arrow that had broken off in it, and she was never more thankful for the fast healing that came with the Speed Force.

A quick shower later and she was as clean and presentable as she was going to get. She left the key on the dresser and left, her next stop a public library where she claimed a computer in a corner and stayed until the librarian informed her they were closing.

She hadn't found everything she was looking for, but she had a start now. If she wanted a chance in hell of making it here, then she needed help and from what she'd gathered, her best shot right now was in Star City.

She really hoped that she didn't run into any arrow-happy psychopaths...


	3. Chapter 3

In hindsight, she definitely could have found a better entrance. In her defense though, she had knocked before letting herself in. And she brought some Big Belly Burger with her.

When the door opens she thinks she might have the wrong apartment before she catches the woman's profile. "I kinda prefer you as a brunette, though you do pull off the blonde look pretty well."

The woman shrieks, clutching her purse to her chest as she stares at her with eyes. "How'd you get in here? Who are you?"

"I brought food?" She points to the bag across from her. "It's kind of a long story and you usually do better with food in you."

The woman eyes the bag warily.

"Felicity, I'm not here to poison you," she tries to smile reassuringly. "I'm here because I need help and you were the easiest to track down. That, and the one most likely to listen and be willing to believe me."

"Believe you about what?" Felicity asks guardedly, though she does come the rest of the way into the apartment. "And you never answered my earlier questions."

"I picked the lock," she shrugs. "And my name is Alina, though you usually call me Mave or Ali."

I don't even know you!" Felicity exclaims and Alina waves her off.

"It's part of the story. Short version, you've heard about the singularity in Central?" She waits for Felicty to nod. "Best guess, the singularity formed a wormhole between your Earth and mine and when I got sucked in on my side, it deposited me here."

Felicity stares at her, blinking as she assimilates the story. "On one hand, not sure I should believe you so easily. But on the other, _metas_."

Alina nods, "Yea, I'm also one of those. Have been for ten years."

Felicity stares at her, mouth opening and closing for several moments before she drops her purse on the counter and joins Alina on the couch. She snatches up the bag of food and looks through it, blinking in mild surprise once more. "You got my favorite."

Alina nods and waits as Felicity assimilates the information, nibbling on fries as she goes.

"Metas have been linked to the STAR Labs particle accelerator explosion," Felicity starts. "That was six months ago."

"Here, yes. But on my Earth the first particle accelerator exploded ten years ago."

"First?" Felicity gapes. "Wait, are you from the future?"

"Hopefully your future looks nothing like mine," Alina smiles tightly. "You're twenty-nine on my Earth."

Felicity blinks. "I'm twenty-four. So, that theory is out."

"Some things are similar, others aren't, but I somehow doubt your passion for computers is limited to my Earth." Felicity lets out an inelegant snort that mixes with her laughter and brings a smile to Alina's face. "Which is why I came to you."

Felicity's laughter fades, easy smile replaced in an instant with a flash of fear and worry. "What kind of help are you looking for? Because I should tell you now that I'm just–"

"You work with the Arrow by night and serve as his secretary by day. Something which you did on my Earth too, before everything happened. Metas weren't accepted and my Earth and they, as well as anyone who supported them, were all treated with extreme prejudice."

"So I take it you didn't come here hoping for me to help you find a way home?"

Alina shakes her head sadly, "There's nothing to go back to. The only thing that saved me was the singularity."

"Okay," Felicity breathes. She sets her burger down and Alina can see her mind whirring. "Alright, so. You need an identity, and papers. A history. Typically I totally wouldn't be doing something like this, really, I wouldn't, I hardly know you, but at the same time it feels like I do, if that makes any sense? And it's not like you can actually prove that you're from another Earth or anything–"

"I have this," Alina interrupts. She pulls a small journal out of her cargos and flips to the back where a photo is taped. 'We took this about three months, after we lost Vibe."

Felicity looks the photo over, eyes catching on Alina and then herself. "I really went back to being a brunette?"

"Some things tend to get forgotten when the world goes to hell," Alina says lightly. "Besides, Law always had a thing for brunettes."

"Law?"

Alina clears her throat, not having meant to say it. She points to the man standing behind Felicity in the picture. "My brother, your husband."

Felicity almost drops the journal. "Husband?!"

Alina winces at the shrill tone. "You– well, my Felicity, she and Law got married two years ago. The kid beside him is Axel. Law found him about eight years ago living on the streets; practically adopted him, the boy was living with us before the month was out. The kid beside him is his boyfriend Hartley. The man beside me is Wally, and beside him is Caitlin."

Felicity studies the photo, looking from it to Alina. "They're all dead, aren't they?"

"Good as," Alina says softly, eyes tracing over the familiar faces.

"Do you want me to help you find them here?"

"Some," Alina smiles. "I know where a few are already. But I think the main focus right now should be getting myself settled n. I need to familiarize myself with this Earth, figure out what is what here before I go making any big moves."

"Okay. Yea, I can help with this," Felicity grins widely. "I'll teach you about this Earth and you can tell me about yours. If you've already seen some similarities then there might be more. If we can identify the similarities and differences it might help you settle better and if things do start going badly here like they did there, we can spot it and stop it from going all…"

"Going to shit?"

Felicity's face scrunches up in indecision before she shrugs, "Not quite what I was looking for but it will do."

They spend the rest of the night, and most of the next day after Felicity called in sick, going over their respective timelines. Felicity takes most of it relatively well, even the part where her team worked alongside the MTF. She gets exceedingly happy when she learned Barry had woken from his coma and become the Flash, though she'd been disappointed that it didn't happen until after things had gone to hell. She is practically heartbroken when she learns how he died.

"So you, Ollie, and Cold… you killed him?" Felicity asks softly. "Were you…"

"I was under Eiling's control, but Queen and Cold were willing participants," she answers just as quietly. "They both lost a lot, neither of them were the men they used to be. Cold lost his son to a meta attack and Queen's entire family, his sister, his best friend, his son, his wife, their unborn child, they were all killed in a meta attack. Even when it came out later that the attacks were orchestrated by Eiling, they were firmly on his side. Fear and vengeance are powerful weapons and metas were a danger they weren't willing to risk."

"What about Dig?"

"From what Overwatch told told me, Queen told your team of his decision to join the MTF. She, Diggle, and the Lances sided with us, but Diggle's wife and the rest of your team sided with Eiling. Overwatch started a cell here in Starling, helping metas out where they could and continuing to protect the city. Oliver let them be for the most part, so long as they didn't interfere with his missions, but eventually time ran out. Their cell, it lasted longer than most. Spartan fell with the city and Overwatch and Law barely made it out. That was the day Overwatch lost the use of her legs and she almost lost her baby. We weren't in time to help the city but thankfully we were able to save them."

Felicity stares down at the picture. "How long ago?"

Alina motions her to flip the page to reveal an ultrasound photo. "Starling fell on Valentine's. That ultrasound was taken about a month later. Caitlin estimated a due date of mid-August."

"It's only June," Felicity points out somberly.

"I know. When the attack was coming, we told Overwatch and Axel to activate all of the traps and defenses before getting out. If they were lucky they managed to escape. Eiling had a tool for tracking metas and they're both human so as long as they stay off the radar they should be fine. At least, I hope they're fine."

They lapse into silence for several minutes. A quiet sniffle reaches her ears and Alina pretends she doesn't hear it, giving Felicity time to assimilate all of the information. She knows Felicity can handle it but this has been a major info-dump and to hear of the life you could have had, that some aspect of you had experienced, it could be a bit much.

Felicity pointedly clears her throat once she's gathered herself again. "Okay, I think that's enough information on all of that. What we need to focus on now is creating you a new identity. Let's start with you. Not you you, but the you of this Earth. Do you know what your– her life is like?"

"She doesn't exist. In my timeline, I was born a year after my parents graduated college. Here, they died in a car accident their freshman year."

"Okay, so starting from scratch it is."


	4. Chapter 4

News of the new meta spread quickly and, to Len's misfortune, so did the story of his impromptu flying session. He came into work one day to find figures of Hawkeye and Falcon decorating his desk with a little plaque proclaiming them his 'Bird Bros'. Another day he came in to find a toy plane with the message 'Next time take a plane' written along the side.

It's been three weeks and there hasn't been any sighting of the new meta which means she's either the type to lay low and hope she's not found out as a meta, or she's lying low while she plans something. There's a sketch of her in the file of confirmed but unidentified metas for the police to try to track so it will only be a matter of time before they find her either way.

"I bet I know what you're thinking of. Or rather, who you're thinking of."

Len doesn't bother to look up from the file he's holding as Lisa leans against the side of his desk. He doesn't need to look up to know she is smirking. "I'm currently trying to figure out how to track our newest menace. Last night our friend stole four ATM machines."

Lisa scoffs. "You haven't flipped a page in over ten minutes and your eyes haven't moved from whatever they're focused on for the last five. You're worrying over that Meta again."

"With reason. How many Metas have we met who were content to stay hidden?" He reminds her, eyes drifting pointedly to their wall of wanted Metas, as well as the stack of pending files.

"Oh, I'm sure there are plenty of Metas who are happy to stay hidden. Nothing like there being a task force made specifically to hunt you down to make you feel all safe and secure. Or make you fear for your life even more, not to mention all the strange looks people will give you once you come out and the prejudice you'd face over being so different. I'm betting coming out as a Meta will be way scarier than coming out as being gay. I mean, unless you're gay too, in which case I feel so sorry for them. Not that there's anything wrong with being gay, of course! Just that some can find it hard to come out and some _really _don't handle others in their life being gay. I'm not personally, either of those, though there was this time when I– oh my god, I need to shut up. You totally don't need to hear any of that and why didn't you shut me up?"

Len looks up to see a blonde woman standing beside Lisa, head tilted back so she's staring straight up at the ceiling. He notes that while a little tight the woman's skirt suit clearly marks her as being from the business district instead of the usual lackey from legal. Though the purple glasses and bright pink heels and lipstick are a tad unorthodox.

"It's so adorable that you think telling you to shut up would actually work," another woman laughs. "And last time I tried putting a hand over your mouth, you licked me."

"I was drunk," the blonde hisses behind her. "Drunk me and sober me are two completely different mes and I thought we were supposed to be friends. Friends don't let friends embarrass themselves in front of cops."

The other woman coos as she comes into view. Len takes her in just as quickly, from the vibrant green eyes and full lips painted a warm cinnamon that are pursed in a teasing smile, to the dark brown hair braided tight and twisted into a bun. Unlike her friend, the brunette is dressed more befitting their line of work. A short-sleeve green button down tucked into black jeans that are form-fitting without being so tight they're painted on, and which are in turn tucked into a pair of boots that while worn enough are still obviously new.

Lisa is smiling as she points to the brunette, "Len, this is Alina Wynters, she's the new assistant forensic scientist. She will be handling the regular cases while I focus on the meta cases. Alina, my brother, Leonard Snart."

The brunette's lips stretch into a full smile as she holds a hand out to Len, motioning to her companion with the other. "Nice to meet you, Detective Snart. This is my friend, Felicity Smoak."

Len has to give the blonde points when she squares her shoulders and smiles professionally as she shakes their hands, all signs of embarrassment gone. "Hi, sorry about that, I sometimes forget to think before speaking. We're here to see your captain, David Singh?"

"The Captain hasn't made it in yet," Len informs them, pointing them towards Singh's office. "You're welcome to wait for him, he shouldn't be much longer."

Alina thanks him and they've only take a few steps when she hears someone call out to Felicity. They turn to catch sight of Barry's foster father standing with two other detectives.

"Joe– sorry, Detective West? Mr. West?" Felicity smiles a touch too wide, eyes darting to Alina when she recognizes one of the men. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here?" Joe raises an eyebrow but doesn't overly react. Everyone has mentioned at one point or another how Felicity is like the female version of Barry. "And I've told you, go ahead and call me Joe."

Felicity laughs awkwardly, "Right, of course. Sorry, don't know why I'm surprised really, just not used to seeing you outside of STAR Labs. Not that it's not good to see you without Barry as the buffer or–"

"Sorry, she didn't get a lot of sleep last night and is running on caffeine right now." Alina jumps in to save her from further embarrassment. She holds a hand out to Joe. "Alina Wynters, I'm transferring here from Starling to start as the new assistant forensic scientist until Barry gets back. Felicity decided to accompany me so I wouldn't feel completely lost in my new surroundings."

Joe accepts her hand, smiling at the fact that she said when, not if. "You a friend of Barry's as well?"

"I only met him in passing, but I've heard a lot about him from Felicity so I'm looking forward to meeting him myself."

One of the men shifts and Joe clears his throat and steps aside to introduce them. "Sorry, this is my partner, Eddie Thawne." A perky blonde with a smile worthy of a toothpaste ad bounces forward to shake both of their hands. "And this is Floyd Lawton. His partner is floating around here somewhere but Floyd is the one you'll be hoping to deal with out of the two."

Joe adds the last part in an aside and Alina laughs along with the others, watching as Felicity sighs out a breathy 'hi' and blushes brighter than her lipstick when Floyd presses a kiss to the back of her hand.

"And that's enough for now," Alina laughs as she leads Felicity away.

"But, 'Lina," Felicity whines softly.

Alina laughs again and waits until they are in Singh's office before she faces her again. "I can only take so much fluff this early in the morning. If you really want to see if you two work as well as Overwatch and Law, pass him one of your business cards on your way out."

Felicity perks up at the thought but then deflates with a pout, "The only business card I have is Oliver's."

"So write your info on the back," Alina shrugs. "Might work better actually, that way he knows it's a personal interest and not professional."

They lapse into silence while they wait for Singh to arrive, though with Felicity that can only last for so long. She's watching the bullpen, as cops come and go, some escorting people in handcuffs and others carrying travel mugs of coffee. "Why do you want to join the CCPD?" Felicity sighs. "Why not do something less handcuffy? If you're planning to be a vigilante, working for the police is not the best idea!"

"Not the best idea, but it is the best opportunity," Alina answers by route. They have had this discussion practically daily the last two weeks. "I actually went to college for this and it'll be nice to not only use my degree but for my norm side to be of use for a change."

"You could just stay in Starling," Felicity tries to wheedle. "The turnover there is so high that they pretty much have an open registration going. They're desperate so they won't look too closely."

"Central is my home," Alina laughs because honestly the turnover in Starling is ridiculously high. "And while everything looks good right now, I want to keep an eye on the task force."

Felicity groans again, a whine evident. "I can keep an eye on them from Starling."

"It won't be the same," Alina tells her gently. "And somehow I doubt Oliver is accepting applications right now. He and Shado are still getting used to Roy, Laurel, and Digg being in the field with them. Besides, doesn't Central deserve its very own vigilante?"

Felicity lets out another grown and Alina can't help smiling. Even on another Earth, Felicity is still the same. Even after nearly scaring the poor woman to death by appearing in her apartment, Felicity had still been willing to listen to her crazy story and, unbelievably, believed her. She'd accepted Alina as quickly here as Overwatch had on their Earth.

After they'd gotten her life ironed out, Felicity had accompanied her to Central and anxiously waited in the hotel room while she sat through the interview with Captain Singh who made it abundantly clear that Alina was only being hired on a probationary period and that she was restricted to the labs unless they were absolutely short staffed.

Alina nudges her friend gently. "Don't worry so much, Felicity. You have access to my comm and even if I do get my tech back, you'll still have access. You might be on team Arrow but you're also one of the founders of the Rogues."

"Rogues?" Felciity wrinkles her nose.

"Well, calling ourselves the Resistance is a bit too premature and the public won't see us as heroes, but we're not exactly villains either," Alina shrugs. "Rogues can go either way and I'm not letting Cisco name us otherwise we'd end up with something like the Anti-Meta Task Force Agents."

"That is horrible, I'm sure he could come up with something better," Felicity says. Alina gives her a pointed look, waiting for her to recall some of the names Vibe had come up with before. "Okay, yea. Rogues is totally fine, we'll go with that."


	5. Chapter 5

Alina had researched and deliberated over who to 'recruit'. Felicity had been a great help. Together, they created a list of potentials and organized them into a rough order. While Felicity is more than willing to help when she can, she won't always be able to. And Alina does not like making her go behind the backs of her team.

Which is how she has ended up where she is, climbing a rickety stairway of an apartment building in a part of Central that is beyond seedy. The hall is dark but even so she can see the walls are dingy, the wallpaper peeling in the few spots it still remains. The air is stale and smells of mildew but thankfully it doesn't smell as bed as it looks like it could.

She's certainly stayed in worse places before.

When she knocks there's the sound of several people scrambling from all over the floor. Two of the neighbors peek their heads out before there is a sound from the apartment in front of her. She hears two deadbolts and the knob rattling before the door creaks open a sliver.

"You were a little hard to find," Alina humms. "I'm hoping my time has not been wasted."

"I believe you have the wrong–"

"Don't insult either of us, Hartley," Alina says. "And while I know your parents never held any love for you, I do know you were taught manners. These walls are thin enough as is and the discussion I wish to have is better had in your apartment and not through a cracked door while the rest of the hall listens in."

He looks ready to argue for all of a moment before he simply steps aside. The fact that he doesn't offer a single smartass remark as she enters tells her plenty about his current state of mind. The Hartley she knows is always full of sass and vinegar but the boy securing the door behind her now is depressed and sullen.

"So, you got blacklisted from working in your field of expertise, your parents disowned you for being homosexual, your boyfriend dumped you once your purse strings were snipped, you lost about eighty percent of your hearing and suffer from constant and what looks to be long-term tinnitus, and you are currently two months past due and are facing eviction unless you do some 'favors' for your landlord," Alina rattles off, watching Hartley's shoulders sag further with each word. "And what's worse is that you're actually considering doing said favors because a shitty roof is better than no roof at this point."

There's a brief look of venom at the last comment but it's wiped away quick enough and shoulders sag even further.

"You truly are pathetic and if I didn't know how much you hate pity, I'd give it to you." Alina looks around the apartment, taking note of the very few belongings she can see. Felicity had told her he was in bad shape, but she didn't realize it was this bad. She'd constructed a very well-pointed argument to win him over but looking now she just tosses it out the window. "Pack everything you want to take, leave anything you don't."

Hartley gives her a startled look, "Wha-why would I do that?"

"I'm starting a boy band and I need your expertise," she rolls her eyes. "You're already a pariah, how do you feel about being a criminal on top of it?"

That earns her a narrowed eye look and while not up to par, there is a sneer present as well, "Why would I want to become a criminal?"

"If it makes you feel better, I'm not talking about robbing banks and blowing up the police precinct or anything of that sort," Alina shrugs. "You've heard of metas, I'm sure? Of the MTF that is working alongside STAR Labs to gather up their inadvertent experiments? Right now they're gathering up all the metas they come across and locking them up in the pipeline. Metas need help controlling their abilities, not to be locked away for simply having them. I plan to create a group to do just that."

Hartley scoffs, "You want to form a meta-human rights group?"

"No, I'll leave that to the pacifists and such," Alina waves it off. "I'm forming a group of vigilantes who will have to go head to head and actively oppose the CCPD and STAR Labs."

Now that does get his attention. "I'm not a fighter."

"With the right tools you could be," she tells him, recalling the gloves Piper made so he could help. A squad of MTF had found one of their hideouts one time, Piper and Vibe had been the only ones there at the time and Piper had been defenseless as a human. Vibe ended up defending him until Flash showed to save them both. After that, Piper had spent an entire week creating a special set of gloves that allowed him to defend himself and more. "I need people who will fight on the frontline with me as well as those who will work behind the scenes to help support us. You pick which you want to do."

"What makes you so sure I care what happens to these metas?"

"You don't have to care, you just have to help." Alina sees a shadow shift out of the corner of her eye and she smirks, twitching her finger.

There's a yelp and a thud as the man jumps to avoid the shadow tendril reaching for him and Alina bites back a laugh when Axel comes stumbling into the room. Hartley immediately steps between them and Alina raises an eyebrow.

"If I wanted to hurt him, I wouldn't have tickled him. I already have one person working with me and she's the one who found the two of you, I knew you were both here," Alina informs them. "Saved me lots of time and trouble because Axel here is good at staying off the grid."

"Wait, you want both of us?" Axel perks up, clambering to his feet.

"The job I have for you is very different from what I have in mind for Hartley here," Alina smiles. "If you're both willing, of course."

Hartey's eyes narrow while Axel is all smiles. "What have you got in mind?"

"Well, first, there is going to be a bit of thievery to get us set up."

The two exchange a glance and Alina continues to smile as she pulls out her list and passes it to Hartley.

"That's the list of places I plan to hit along with what it is we'll be going for," she tells them. "The first few will have to be done quietly, but the last can be as flashy as you want."

Axel only gives the list a cursory look, instead he's watching Hartley. His own smile widens as a smile touches Hartley's lips. Hartley is smirking when he finally reaches the bottom of the list. He calmly hands it back to her.

"What is it you want us to do?"


	6. Chapter 6

Time seems to pass in variations, sometimes it flies by and other times it drags out. They have plenty of work to keep them busy and Alina has to work to keep her personal and professional lives balanced. Axel had gotten a real kick when he realized what her day job is and Hartley told her she is either crazy or stupid which, admittedly, is the truest thing ever. She's pretty sure it's a balance of both.

They managed to pull off three of their jobs with no one the wiser. They broke into Rathaway Industries and emptied the vaults but the Rathaways are egotistical at its finest and refused to report the theft, instead trying to keep the knowledge internal and hiring out to find the responsible party. They don't even realize that they're playing right into Hartley's hands. Alina loves it.

She's in her lab running analysis, mind only half on her task when she hears a giggle. Alina jerks around, spotting a little figure peeking out from behind the shelving. For a moment she sees a mop of blonde-brown curls and mischievous blue orbs. She shakes her head, the image clearing to show a little girl with dark auburn hair curling down around her shoulders, a little red bow clipped precariously to keep her bangs out of her face. Hazel eyes stare up at her curiously.

"You're not Barry," the girl says quietly.

Alina blinks in surprise. "No, I'm not."

The girl continues to watch her, edging behind the shelving a little more as an officer passes by the open door. Alina looks from her to the door and cocks her head.

"What brings you here, little one?"

"I'm hiding from daddy," the girl confides. "He wants me to take medicine."

She says it with complete disgust that has Alina smiling in remembrance of wrestling matches and spilled cough syrups. She eyes the girl again, noting the half-glazed eyes and a nose that is a touch too red.

"So you came up here hoping Barry would hide you?"

The girl nods, "He helped me hide last time. When I saw the door open, I thought he was here and could hide me again."

Aline nods in understanding and begins putting things away and closing down. Once done, she takes off her safety wear and hangs her lab coat over the back of her chair before she approaches the little girl who is watching her warily.

"Alright, how about a deal," she offers in a half-whisper. The girl doesn't lean forward, but she doesn't hide further either. "Do you like milk and peppermints?"

The girl wrinkles her nose in confusion, "Yea."

"You see, I happen to know a trick for taking medicine," Alina begins. "While it doesn't take away the nasty taste completely, it does make it a lot more bearable. Are you willing to try it?"

The girl tilts her head, considering.

"If my trick works well enough, you get to show your daddy you can take medicine like a big girl," she offers. "And if it doesn't work, I will help you hide next time."

"I get peppermints?"

Alina nods, "Yes, you will get peppermints. Do we have a deal?"

The girl purses her lips. She thrusts a hand forward, "Deal."

Alina accepts her hand, shaking gently. "My husband always said that you should make sure to know who you make deals with. My name is Alina Wynters, what's yours?"

"My name's Kenna Marie Rory, I'm four years old," the girl says proudly, showing off four fingers. "My daddy is Detective Mick Rory and Lisa Snart and Detective Leonard Snart are my aunt and uncle so anyone who messes with me has to deal with them."

Alina laughs at the introduction, almost snorting at the attitude that is pure Lisa. Suddenly, Mick's preoccupation with language becomes clearer. She reaches out and adjusts the girl's bow. "Well, Kenna, it is very nice to meet you. Now, why don't we see if we can find your daddy and settle our little wager?"

The sound of heavy boots in the hall reaches them and Kenna looks to the door, whispering, "I think he found me."

Alina swallows another laugh as she stands. Kenna follows her and reaches up. Alina swings her up into her arms without thinking and turns to the door just as Mick comes stomping through. He pulls up short at the sight of them, standing almost comically with a small bottle of children's medicine in one hand and a box of tissues in the other, an over-stuffed diaper bag slung over his shoulder.

"Perfect timing," Alina smiles. She gently takes the medicine from him and sets it on her table, easing Kenna down onto the stool, making sure she's settled before she goes to her mini-fridge and pulls out the small jug of milk. She grabs down two of the disposable cups and fills each with only a little milk before returning and setting one in front of Kenna. She sets the other down across from her and goes to her desk to grab a handful of peppermints.

Settling across from Kenna, she unwraps two peppermints and sets one in front of each of them. She takes the medicine bottle, smiling when she sees two cups on the cap. She fills each with the same amount and again one goes in front of each of them.

"Okay, so the way this works is you take a mouthful of milk, don't swallow it right away, swish it around and cover the inside of your mouth really good," she instructs. "Once that's done, swallow it and hurry and chug the medicine, immediately chasing it with the peppermint."

Kenna looks between the three items in front of her, nose wrinkled in disgust at the medicine. "So like when Aunt Lisa makes daddy and Uncle Len drink?"

Mick makes a noise that Alina doesn't bother identifying. She just nods and reaches for her own milk. "Ready?"

Kenna grabs her milk and takes a fortifying breath before she lifts it to her mouth. Alina follows suit, trying not to laugh at the over exaggerated swishing noises the girl is making. They both swallow and Alina can't help wrinkling her own nose at the smell of the medicine before she downs it, quickly popping the peppermint in her mouth and sucking to chase away the medicinal taste.

She watches as Kenna makes a face of complete disgust, shaking her entire head and sticking her tongue out before she pops the mint in and lips pucker as she starts sucking hard.

"So, what's the ruling?"

Kenna continues to suck on her peppermint, the little candy clacking against her teeth as she rolls it around her mouth. She purses her lips and Alina smiles, sliding over two more peppermints that the girl eagerly snags. "I guess it wasn't too bad."

"We call it the Doc Shot," Alina confides as she helps the little girl down.

"Did you see, Daddy?" Kenna races over to Mick, latching onto his legs. "I took the medicine, no problems!"

"I saw, firebug," Mick rumbles, smiling down and gently tapping her bow. "We'll have to make sure Len and Lisa know, too."

"I'll go tell them!"

Mick's mouth opens in denial but Kenna is already gone, racing out of the lab. Mick watches her go, shaking his head.

"Sorry, she's a bit of a handful," Mick apologizes. "Didn't even mention the medicine, she saw it was time and just took off when I was talkin' to Len."

"If there's one place a kid should be fine running loose, it's in a precinct," Alina shrugs as she takes the glasses and medicine cups to wash them. "Leon and I used to have to wrestle with our son to make him take medicine, too. It was always this big production whenever he came down sick. Leon wasn't much better, and he's the one I got the idea from."

"You married?"

Alina pauses, hands absently soaping the cups. "I was," she admits. "We separated on very bad terms."

"I'm sorry," Mick offers. "How's your son handling it?"

"Michael died when he was seven," Alina says. "Things… it got dark following Michael's death. Leon and I, we tried for a time but he couldn't accept the loss."

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," Alina shrugs it off. She returns the caps to the medicine bottle and holds it out for Mick. "It's our job to protect our children and guide them. In return they provide the light we need to keep going; they drive us to be better. I had my brother and sisters who kept me going, but Leon became lost in grief and anger. Nothing any of us said could bring him out of it."

"Grief can do bad things to a person's head," Mick commiserates.

"Yes, but it can only excuse so much," Alina smiles tightly. "After a certain point, it stops being grief and becomes misplaced vengeance."


	7. Chapter 7

The moment the call comes over the radio they are moving. They've been after this meta for four months now but they have yet to catch him. They don't have so much as a picture of him, the only thing they do know is that he is a male, late-20's to early-30's, with brown hair and the ability to turn his skin into steel.

He keeps stealing ATMs and knocking over corner stores and with everything said and done, he should have been caught months ago. Len is getting frustrated with how hard this meta is to pin down, he doesn't follow any sort of pattern or rhythm, either in where he hits or the timing.

They lucked out being so close when the call comes over. The alarm is still bleating when they pull up, the front window smashed and leaving a clear entrance into the liquor store. There is a bright yellow hummer parked half on the curb, the hatch open to showcase a number of kegs already loaded. They approach carefully, Len motioning for him and Mick to separate. Another car pulls up and he glances over to see Lawton and Hanson joining them. Together, they make their way through the store and it's at the back that they find their perp.

His skin is the tan of flesh as he hoists another keg up onto his shoulder like it weighs nothing at all. Len pulls off his gloves, ice gathering on his hands as he releases his hold. He glances over to see Mick doing the same, hands flaring red where the heat is building.

"Be a good boy and freeze," Len says calmly, a wave of ice traveling out to create a spiked path that blocks the meta from running forward.

The meta's skin flashes silver in an instant as he activates his ability, "I think I'd rather tell you to f–"

"Oh, you might want to be careful what you say, Steele." There's a husky laugh and the sound of boots on tile. "Heatwave, he does not like when people curse. You will get quite a scolding from him."

"Like I care what some cop likes," Steele scoffs.

"You should," the woman says. "You see, how you react in this moment is what decides your fate."

The woman comes into view, stepping out of one of the center aisles and leaning against it without a care in the world. She's dressed from head to foot in leather. Form-fitting black leather pants pulled over combat boots paired with a tight leather vest a dark scarlet that matches the little mask she has covering the top half of her face, as well as the fingerless gloves that are laced tight all the way up to just under her elbows. Dark hair, brown with streaks of auburn, tumbles over her shoulders and bright red lips are quirked into a taunting smile that matches the mischief evident in her bright green eyes.

Eyes he knows he has seen before.

"Hello, Detective Snart, Detective Rory," the woman continues to smile. "Tell me, has your darling Cisco given me a name yet? I mean, I know I didn't give that much of a show back in June, but I hear I have a special place of honor on your little board."

"He's been calling you Thrall," Mick grins widely at Len who scowls back.

The woman, Thrall, purses her lips. "Not his best, but I guess it fits well enough. It will do, for now."

She lets out a soft hum and at the first note Len taps his ear piece, throwing her a grin of his own, "Sorry, that little trick only works once."

Thrall laughs, hooking her thumbs in her front pockets and crossing her legs, jutting a hip forward enough that a sliver of skin flashes. "Babe, if I want to entrance you, I don't need my voice. That was a normal hum, I actually don't like using that effect of the ability very often. When you identified yourselves as cops I figured it was my safest bet of escaping without having to involve assaulting police officers."

"You trying to say you're peaceful?" Lawton asks, stepping out of the aisle next to her with his gun at the ready.

"When I'm allowed. If push comes to shove however I am more than willing to fight, Detective Lawton," she answers easily enough. Her eyes swing back to their thief and she cocks her head as she looks him over. "You've made one smart decision already in not acting out or trying to run just now. You see, you have broken quite a number of laws these last few months, there are numerous charges of breaking and entering, burglary, grand theft auto, I'm not really sure what the charge is for stealing an entire ATM, never mind several of them, but I'm thinking it is somewhere close to robbing a bank."

"Something like that," Lawton agrees. "Are you saying you're here to help us?"

"That all depends on him," Thrall answers, eyes still trained on Steele. "You see, if you insist on continuing on the path you are on now, these fine officers are going to arrest you and you will be locked in a cell that has been designed specially for you. You will remain in solitary confinement, meals being passed through a little box, until the meta-wing at Iron Heights is finished, at which point you will be transferred there."

Steele lifts his chin in challenge. "And if I don't?"

"If you agree to change your ways, agree to my rules, I will help you get out of here." The meta opens his mouth but she quickly holds up a staying hand. "Think before speaking. If you agree to go with me simply to get out of this mess and try to go back to how you've been doing things, I will hand you over to STAR Labs."

"So either way this goes, we get a fight," Len surmises.

Thrall smiles at him, "Yes, but his answer decides whether you will be fighting one meta or two."

"We have to take both of you either way," Hanson calls out from where he's standing behind Mick.

"The adults are speaking," Thrall calls out without even looking at him. "Little boys who hide behind others have no place at this table."

"The human would like to stay alive so is keeping his distance from the super-powered criminals," Hanson tries to defend himself.

"And yet your partner who is equally human is standing two feet away from me with the nerve to hold a gun to my head," she rolls her eyes and glances at Lawton, completely unbothered with looking down the barrel of a gun. "He's not going to last much longer, you might want to look into getting a partner with some nerve of their own."

"He does well enough," Lawton defends his partner. "We usually leave the metas to the MTF."

"Aw, and here I was starting to think we'd be seeing so much more of each other," Thrall sighs playfully. "Guess I'll have to stick with Heatwave and Cap here."

Steele sets down his keg, squaring his shoulders. "What's to keep me from kicking all of your asses and just walking out of here?"

"Part of my power is the ability to sense other metas, what their abilities are, and how strong those abilities are," Thrall says which instantly garners the attention of the whole room. "You are what I term a class-C meta. The two detectives here are A-class. You might have a chance against one, but not both. And you certainly don't have a chance in hell against all three of us."

"What class are you?" Len asks curiously.

Thrall grins, one corner tucking up higher in teasing, "I'm a rare one, myself. I used to classify myself as an A but then I met the first meta who, like me, had abilities that seemed to go beyond other class-A's. I call us S-class and to date I have only met six others."

Len looks her over, wondering just what her ability is. If she's saying she's a class over he and Mick, she has to have more than that little push she did before or that hypno-trick she'd done when she escaped.

Steele looks between them, probably looking for a way out. His eyes start to linger near Lawton and Thrall makes a soft noise of determent.

"Don't even," she warns as she steps between the two. "Now, you gonna keep acting like a little punk or are you going to man up?"

He looks between them again, glances behind himself where the shelf is pushed up against the wall. "How do you plan on getting us out of here?"

Len curses mentally, angling so he has a hand on each and cold building at his fingertips.

"These petty thefts stop, we don't need more heat than we're already going to garner. Agreed?"

"This was getting old anyway," the meta shrugs. "So, how are we doing this?"

"If you come with me there are three rules you have to follow. Break even one of them and I'll drop you in the Pipeline myself," Thrall threatens. "One: no targeting innocents. Two: no killing aside from self-defense and only when absolutely necessary. Three: no targeting cops, other vigilantes, or their family and close associates. That means, aside from direct conflicts, the MTF are off limits." She cocks her head a moment, lips twitching in humor. "Okay, with the exception of the occasional prank, so long as it is meant in good humor and no one is overly harmed."

"Fine," Steele huffs. He shifts his weight, shoulders rolling as his eyes go from Len to Mick, his gaze settling on the bigger man who just smiles and ups his heat until there are small flames licking across his knuckles. "I'll follow all your stupid rules but if this is just a load of bull–"

"Language," Mick snaps irritably.

Thrall laughs at the look the meta sends Mick. "He has a thing against bad language. I'm curious myself, he seems the sort to have an absolutely filthy mouth, doesn't he?"

"Look, we gonna fight or not? I–"

"Brace!" Thrall yells out.

Len catches a flash of movement near Mick's feet before his whole world flips and he's hit with a sense of extreme vertigo before pain explodes in the back of his head and all the way down his left flank. It takes him a moment to re-orient himself, blinking black dots out of his vision to find himself staring up at the ceiling.

"Did you just throw me through a wall?" He hears Steele demanding.

"I told you to brace," Thrall retorts dryly as she steps through the newly made hole in the wall. "You still had your skin active so it's not like it hurt and I didn't have time to give you a signal they would be able to decipher before you. Stop complaining and start heading west."

Len groans as he rolls onto his side, eyes tracking to the hole where Thrall is still peering in at them.

"Sorry, I would stay to spar a bit but I don't want to chance this one getting restless," she says. "I can only hold him still for so long. Next time we meet, hopefully we'll all be up to par for it."

Len shoots a blast of ice at her but Thrall sidesteps, spinning out of the way and blowing him a kiss. "Until next time, boys. And don't bother following, I'm sure you'll have your hands full here in a few moments."

Mick growls and shoots a column of flames at her but she's already gone, husky laughter fading in their ears. Len groans, climbing to his feet and stalks to the hole but the alley is already empty. He growls, reaching for his phone when it suddenly starts ringing.

"Snart," he snaps sharply.

He listens for a moment, turning to see Mick on his phone as well. He watches as his partner's face clouds over, the temperature in the room climbing.

"Son of a bitch," Mick growls darkly, lashing out and throwing his phone. "She played us, Len."

"That she did," Len agrees, glaring down the alley.

"What happened?" Lawton climbs to his own feet, poking gingerly at his head as he picks over the wrecked remains of the shelf and eyes the whole blown into the wall. "Thrall did somethin'. She had her hands down by her side but I saw her hands move. First two fingers on each hand were extended, the rest folded, and then she brought them up. Felt like the rug got pulled from underneath me, next thing I knew I was staring at the ceiling like a jackass."

"That trick with her voice isn't her only ability," Len surmises. "What's more, she's not working alone."

"She wasn't just here to recruit Steele, she was here as a distraction." Mick rumbles. "Someone broke into the Pipeline and staged a prison break."

"Prison break?" Hanson chokes. He's sitting on part of the destroyed shelf, pulling his tie loose. "Who did they take?"

"Better question is who they didn't," Mick grunts. "Left Frye, Simmons, Monteleone, Nimbus, and Lang. The rest are gone."


	8. Chapter 8

"You threw me through a wall."

Alina sighs, rolling her eyes. "Yes, I did. Stop being a baby about it. I've been thrown through a wall before, only unlike you I didn't have steel skin. I came out bruised to shit but otherwise fine so stop bitching already."

"You threw me through a wall without touching me!" Tony yells. "How the hell did you do that?"

"Electromagnetic currents," she says simply. "If I tap into the right current I can move most things but metal is certainly the easiest."

Tony quiets down, watching as she winds her way through Central. She pulls into a parking garage and parks the van. She waits until he climbs out before locking it down and hiding the key. She leads him into the stairway and heads down to the sub-parking. Tony goes to exit the stairway but she stops him, pulling him to the side of the stairs and kneeling in front of the drainage grate. She hooks her fingers into the wiring and lifts, motioning him to climb down.

"You're kidding," Tony stares incredulously. "You want me to climb down into the _sewer_?"

"Not the sewer, the storm drains," Alina corrects. "And it will only be for a couple of blocks. Now climb down."

He gives her a look that she ignores but climbs down anyway, muttering the whole way down. She follows after him, pulling the grate back into place. Once below she leads him through the tunnels, eyes tracing along the ceiling looking for the correct markings.

"Lots of cities have interesting histories, Central included. Bootlegging was a serious business back during the prohibition and there was quite a network involved in keeping the liquor flowing and making sure speakeasies were not only accessible but discrete enough to avoid notice," Alina explains as they go. "My husband, he was a notorious thief and once he learned of these tunnels, he made it a point to learn everything he could about them."

"Guess it comes in handy now," Tony says. "Where are we going?"

"A safe place. You can drop your skin, by the way, there aren't any cameras down here and this tunnel will drop us straight in," she tells him. "You're lucky the CCPD and MTF haven't identified you yet. Come on, the entrance is up ahead. We have a number of safe houses set up but this is our Den."

She doesn't let him see how she opens the door and she waves him in before securing it behind them. It's a cramped little closet, but its sole purpose is to keep the ladder hidden. She climbs up first and holds the hatch open as he follows. This particular passage comes out in one of the storage rooms close to the hub. They can hear a number of voices coming from the main room and after a quick glance at her Tony follows them out into the hall. She stays behind him to make sure he doesn't get sidetracked. He looks his fill, trying to peek into the rooms they pass but most of the doors are shut so it's a straight shot to the main room where they find quite a collection of people waiting.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen," Alina calls out, drawing their attention to herself. "I understand most of you have several questions you would like answered. For those of you who missed the numerous articles and press releases, when the STAR Labs particle accelerator exploded in January a number of unknown particles were released into the air and everyone here, with the exception of my friend Trickster back there, were affected. STAR Labs has identified us as metas and the CCPD has formed a special unit to handle us, the Meta-human Task Force, or MTF for short."

One of the men towards the back 'boos' and Alina makes a note of his face, though he's not someone she readily recognizes.

"Yes, everyone here has most likely had a run in with either the MTF or a few of their partners in the CCPD. Believe it or not, their goal is to help metas but that seems to be a long-term goal right now. Their main focus is in controlling us and limiting the damage we can bring to the public. Right now the only place suitable to detain metas is the STAR Labs pipeline, which is how you ended up there. Each cell has to be tailor-made to the meta, which has the unfortunate side-effect of solitary confinement. They are working on a general null-device but are so far pulling up short."

"You here to defend them?" Another man scowls, this one she does recognize.

"Clyde Mardon, you and your brother Mark are known thieves and since gaining your abilities you are the leading faces on why metas should be considered dangerous," Alina informs him. "We debated whether or not to leave you and your brother at STAR Labs with the other killers."

"Really now?" Clyde holds his hands out, wind building in his palms.

Alina raises an unimpressed eyebrow and flicks at him with the fingers on one hand, the wind instantly dying. "Save the hot air show for someone more easily impressed. You're here because we took a vote and for all that it came down to a tie of two each, we figured you still deserved a chance. The others didn't get a single yes vote so take heart in that."

She notices a few people giving the brothers a side eye. "I'm not here to defend the MTF, CCPD, or STAR Labs, I'm simply informing you of how the situation currently stands and to remind you that they really do serve a purpose. Cops are meant to serve and protect the citizens of this city but right now no one knows what rights a meta should have and us using our abilities against them to rob banks and kill people is not putting our kind in a favorable light. Public opinion is slowly but surely drifting away from us. It doesn't matter that up until eight months ago you were all regular citizens yourself, the fact of the matter stands that you are no longer normal humans. I understand some of you may have acted a bit… rashly, or were perhaps even tricked into acting out of turn. I also understand that most of you probably don't have a full handle on your newfound abilities and that a loss of control might have led you here."

"And you broke us out of that prison out of the kindness of your heart?" A man at the back calls out sarcastically.

"In part, yes. But as with all things, your freedom comes with strings. I'm standing here to offer you a proposition. Whether you take me up on it or not, we will still help you."

"How?" A woman asks. Alina turns her gaze to her and finds herself meeting the gaze of Bette Sans Souci. "How do you plan to help us?"

"For those who don't have full control yet, we're going to help you learn it. Once you have, you can either join our cause or we will set you up with a new life far from Central where the MTF won't find you, so long as you don't act rashly." Alina informs them plainly. "If you want your family to go with you, we will contact them and, if they are willing, will send them with you. You will get new names, new lives, we will set you up with temporary housing and try to help you secure a job of your liking."

"And if we choose to stay?"

"If you join us, you won't be getting freedom, you will be labeled a criminal. The cops are bound by the letter of the law and as it stands you all broke that law, even if inadvertently. No matter how much they might want to help, they can't. They have to follow the laws they are charged with upholding. We are going to help bridge that gap."

"You want to start a vigilante group?" A woman scoffs. When they were going through the files, it took Alina a moment to recognize her. On her Earth, Shawna Baez hadn't been a meta but a supporter who helped run one of the safehouses in Starling.

"Technically, I already have," Alina answers, giving Trickster and Piper pointed looks. "You come with me and whether you want to be on the front line or strictly behind the scene, that's your call. But I will do whatever is necessary to keep you safe. Our goal will be to protect the citizens, meta and human alike. If we deem a meta is deserving of a second chance we will help them get that. If not, we will allow the CCPD to do their jobs and we will not interfere."

"And if the cops get there first?" Clyde sneers. "You gonna fight them over one of ours?"

"If need be, yes," Alina admits. "But only if necessary and we will only use the necessary force. As a matter of fact, I just snagged Steele here who was stupid enough to try steeling a handful of kegs and got cornered by Heatwave and Captain Cold. Aside from a few bruises, and the shop being out a front window and a side wall, no one was overly hurt. Our goal will be to help save lives, not take them. And we certainly will not kill any cops. The public will already be unsure how to feel about us when we're outted, we don't need to do anything that will outright turn them against us."

She sees them looking amongst each other, some have already formed small clusters, others are standing on their own. She sees a few who have already made their decisions.

"You can have the night to think it over. Overwatch is our fourth member, she is strictly behind the scenes and she splits her time between us and team Arrow in Starling. She will be the one setting up the new identities and she will consult with you to ensure it is a life you will like living. As I said, whether you choose to stay or go, we will help you learn control. Setting up new identities takes time as does gaining control. If you change your mind, either way, that will be fine as well. Your life is yours, we are just here to help you get it together."

Alina's eyes travels over the group, meeting each of their gazes. She gives them a final nod before she moves to where Hartley and Axel are waiting. "You two boys have fun?"

"Plenty," Axel grins widely.

"It was entertaining enough," Hartley lazes. "Overwatch made us a backdoor so we can access their systems whenever but I made a quick stop off in Francisco's 'office' and copied his private drive. I've only glanced through a few of the plans but this will be plenty to start with. I have the schematics for the earpieces he designed to negate your ability. They obviously still need field testing but I can find a way to override them or I can create something of our own to bypass their safeties."

"Bypass," Alina grins. "Once we get the more advanced gear in here we can see about a few upgrades. Masks that go over our eyes don't do a whole lot to hide our identities, and it does nothing to hide our voices. I'm thinking a mask for over the lower face, something to help filtrate the air in case they try gassing us, a distorter to hide our voice, and maybe something that will make it impossible to snap any pictures?"

Hartley grins, showing her his tablet with the plans already half done. "We'll still have in-the-ear comms for the more covert runs but these comms will cover the entire ear and auto-adjust the volume input so you can pick up what someone across the room is whispering, and if someone were to say, set off a flash-bang, it will dampen the sound so you're not deafened. They will also have a built-in jammer that will knock out any cameras within ten yards, but won't interfere with radios."

"Very nice," Alina murmurs, looking over the drawing. "The mask is attached, making it all one piece but which can be taken off when needed?"

"Correct. I'm still working on how they connect. Each mask could be tailor-made but one-size fits all and interchangeability might be more practical for emergencies," Hartley goes on. "But every face is built and shaped differently."

"Have it so the main piece secures over the nose and mouth but the sides can be a material that is both breathable and flexible, that way it can stretch to the user," Alina suggests. "And if I remember right, there's a special wire thread that can be threaded through the mask which will work like infrared lasers, it produces a reflection not visible to the naked eye but which distorts the image of digital cameras. Added measure for those cameras outside the jammer's radius."

"I might have heard something…" Hartley turns back to his computer, screen after screen popping up as he searches. "I know I've heard that somewhere…"

Alina watches the man work fondly, reminded of her own Piper. It's been several months since she recruited him and with each passing day Hartley grows more and more confident. And with each day that passes, he reminds her of Pied Piper more and more.

"There's no telling when he'll resurface," Axel laughs. "He's been half-distracted since we left STAR Labs."

"I'm glad he's acting more himself," she smiles. "How's your own project going?"

Axel shrugs, "It's going. My instructor hates me, half of my class have already quit. Three more weeks and I'll be graduating."

"Just remember to keep taking your meds," Alina reminds him. "And keep the pranks to a minimum until you're settled."

"Or make sure they don't catch me?" Axel laughs. "Is it weird I'm excited for this?"

Alina shakes her head, "No. We're all allowed to have lives outside of here, we just have to be careful that the two don't collide. Whenever that happens, one ends up shattered and the other fragments. It's hard to rebuild once that happens."

Axel nods, it's not one of his silly 'sure, whatever you say' nods, it's a solemn acknowledgement that he knows what she is talking about. She offers him a reassuring smile and squeezes Hartley's shoulder as she passes him. "My shift starts in an hour, I'm going to head home and shower. I'll be back after, crash in one of the side rooms here to help keep an eye on this lot. Don't get too distracted," she warns them. "We might be trying to help them, but that doesn't guarantee that they actually want our help."


End file.
